The Healing Power of Enzymes
For Treating Disease

(NewsTarget) Enzymes may not share the superstar status of
certain vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, and other miracle
nutrients in the world of conventional health and nutrition; yet
a growing number of studies suggest that enzymes very much
deserve a standing ovation when it comes to improving overall
health and the successful treatment of numerous diseases.

Enzymes perform an all-encompassing function in the development
and maintenance of the human body. Dr. Edward Howell, father of
enzyme
nutrition and therapy, stated that enzymes are the very
substances that make life possible. Yet mainstream medicine has
frequently ignored this basic fact, undervaluing the enzymes'
vital role in health and underestimating their true potential in
overall health, including disease management and prevention.
Proponents and advocates of enzyme therapy regard enzyme
bankruptcy as a lethal health catastrophe, causing countless
bodies to shut down prematurely.

Know Your Enzymes

Bodies of research have identified more than 3,000 types of
enzymes in the
human body. As organic catalysts, enzymes are known to
initiate, speed up, slow down, alter or halt about 4,000 kinds
of biochemical reactions. Millions of biochemical reactions take
place in our body on a daily basis, including respiration, food
digestion, assimilation and transportation of nutrients,
detoxification of certain organs, blood purification,
movement of muscles, production and regulation of hormones, and
cell renewal and repair, to name a few. The enzymes make all
these processes possible, and they are destroyed once they
complete their respective tasks.

There are three types of enzymes: digestive, metabolic, and food
enzymes. Digestive enzymes are produced by the digestive organs
that aid in breaking down food into more assimilable forms. The
four general classes of digestive enzymes are: amylase, which
digests
carbohydrates, starches, and sugars found in grains, fruits,
and starchy vegetables; protease, which breaks down protein
found in meat, nuts, and cheese into amino-acids; lipase, which
breaks down fats and oils found in dairy and meat products into
fatty acids; and cellulase, which helps digest fiber.

Metabolic enzymes on the other hand are manufactured by the
body's own cells to perform highly specific tasks required in
regulating the blood, tissues, and organs. They are responsible
for the production and growth of new cells, the repair and
maintenance of tissues and organs, transportation of blood to
the different organs, and detoxification of the cells, tissues,
organs, and blood. Metabolic enzymes also carry out the delivery
and absorption of nutrients in various organs.

The third kind of enzymes is the food enzymes. These enzymes are
the vital life force naturally found in raw, uncooked food. By
definition,
raw food is food heated below 118 degrees F, the highest
temperature in which enzymes can still survive and function.
There are a lot of well-documented cases that attest to the
wonderful benefits and healing power of raw food. The enzymes
present in raw food work synergistically with the other
nutrients like
vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, bioflavonoids,
antioxidants, and co-enzymes, allowing your digestive system
to take its much needed rest and giving your
immune system the necessary boost to successfully carry out
its search and destroy missions.

The Enzyme and Disease Connection

The problem arises when the body becomes overburdened in
producing enzymes due too poor dietary choices like eating
cooked, highly processed and preservative-laden foods.
According to research, food enzymes are heat-sensitive and die
when heated at temperatures above 118 degrees F. When a person
ingests enzyme-less food, his body then diverts a lot of its
energy to the production of digestive enzymes to break down the
carbohydrates, protein, fat, and other nutrients of the food. If
a person has been eating cooked, unhealthy food most of his
life, his body's line of defense may already be exhausted in its
fight against diseases associated with diets high in
sugar, sodium, additives, trans and saturated fat, and
carcinogenic substances.

This is further compounded by a person's genetic predisposition
to certain diseases. The body then struggles more to achieve
homeostasis or internal equilibrium, which is needed for all the
organ systems to run smoothly and to function properly. Because
a lot of energy gets allotted to the manufacturing of digestive
enzymes, the production of metabolic enzymes becomes disrupted.
The more important tasks of providing immune system back-up,
blood purification, and organ
detox needed in fighting off disease all take a backseat to
the digestion of
cooked food. Nevertheless the body does not stop recognizing
an unfriendly invasion when it sees one, and in a greatly
strained attempt to set all things back to order, it goes on a
red-alert mode and uses all its limited energy to follow its
natural tendency - which is to heal itself. The body is not
meant to be in a state of emergency for a prolonged period of
time. When this happens, the body finally breaks down and
serious diseases like
cancer develop.

Other diseases linked to enzyme deficiency include heart
disease, which is a sign of the body's inability to break down
fats. Autoimmune diseases such as allergies and
arthritis on the other hand are the results of the body's
incapacity to digest protein and carbohydrates.

The Enzyme Advantage

Studies indicate that increasing your raw food intake and taking
enzyme supplements can be very potent measures in the prevention
and healing of certain diseases including cancer. Although raw
food already has its own enzymes to digest its own nutrients,
the undigested substances circulating in the blood that are
responsible for a lot of diseases would need extra enzymes
before they could be broken down for elimination. This is where
enzyme support comes in handy. The high concentration of enzymes
in enzyme supplements can dissolve all the unfriendly substances
floating in the bloodstream that are causing damage to various
organs. Since bacteria, viruses, and
cancer cells are made up of protein, proteolytic or protein-metabolizing
enzymes such as protease would greatly assist in destroying
pathogens and cancer cells. White blood cells are also heavily
dependent on enzymes; a shortage on their supply would therefore
result in impaired
immune function. It is for these reasons that a megadose of
enzyme supplements is usually required to restore health to
cancer patients.

Various experiments conducted on enzymes demonstrate their
versatility and efficacy. Combined with a proper diet and other
nutritional supplements, enzymes can perform tasks that are
nothing short of miraculous. The use of enzymes among athletes
suffering from injury and patients who underwent surgery
accelerated the recovery and healing of both groups. In one
study, a marked improvement was noted among arthritic patients
consuming raw food. In another study, a control group of
hypertensive and obese outpatients experienced a significant
improvement in their conditions on a raw
vegan diet. Enzymes have also been shown to reduce the side
effects of chemotherapy among cancer patients. Countless allergy
sufferers reported relief upon increasing their enzyme intake.
Other reported benefits include the elimination of digestive and
colon problems, hay fever, asthma, inflammation, hypoglycemia,
and Crohn's disease.

With all the positive reports that enzymes are receiving, it is
only high time that enzymes get the big publicity they so much
deserve, and cease to be the underrated nutrients that they
currently are.